How Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Handled Drug Cases (Article 112a), 2019–2023

Trends › By Installation › Camp Lejeune, North Carolina › Article 112a, 2019–2023

Based on 87 cases · 2019–2023 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

Longer Confinement Than Across the Service

Of the 87 cases, 84 ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 76 of those sentences included confinement (90%). The median confinement was 9 months, longer than the 5 months across Navy and Marine Corps Article 112a cases. A quarter of the sentences were 1.1 years or longer.

Sentences under 6 months made up 33% of convictions here, compared with 45% in the rest of the service. Sentences of more than one year were 22 of 84 convictions (26%), compared with 16% across all Navy and Marine Corps Article 112a cases. No sentence reached 5 years. Sentences of 6 months to 1 year were 31% here, compared with 27%. Convictions with no confinement were about as common as in the rest of the service, at 10% compared with 11%. All figures are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case.

Most Convictions Included a Punitive Discharge

Of 79 convicted enlisted members, 69 received a punitive discharge (87%): 64 bad-conduct and 5 dishonorable. In Navy and Marine Corps Article 112a cases overall, the share was 64%.

The records also show 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, and both were dismissed. Dismissal is the officer form of a punitive discharge. Enlisted members without a punitive discharge could still face an administrative separation later, which the records do not include.

Cases by Year

The trials took place from February 2019 to November 2023. There were 19 in 2019, 21 in 2020, 32 in 2021, 11 in 2022, and 4 in 2023. 2021 had the most cases. Across the period, drug charges appeared in 31% of the 283 courts-martial at Camp Lejeune.

These are trial years. The records do not give the dates of the alleged drug use, and they cannot show why the yearly counts changed.

General and Special Courts-Martial

Camp Lejeune tried 30 of the cases at general courts-martial and 57 at special courts-martial. The general share was 34%. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

The median confinement at general courts-martial was 1.3 years, and 24% of those cases were contested. The median at special courts-martial was 5 months, and 16% were contested.

Pleas, Where Recorded

Only 48 of the 87 records list a plea, because Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit it. Among those 48, 39 accused pleaded guilty and 9 contested the charges. A contested case is one where the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge.

The contested share was 19%, about the same as the 20% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Cases here went to trial on the merits at about the same rate as in the rest of the service.

Charges Filed Alongside Drug Counts

52 of the 87 cases included at least one other article. Article 92 (orders violation) was the most common companion charge, in 28 cases. Article 128 (assault) and Article 81 (conspiracy) each appeared in 10. Article 86 (AWOL) appeared in 9, and Article 82 (solicitation) in 8.

A sentence covers all the charges in a case. These companion charges are therefore part of the confinement and discharge figures above. The records do not separate the punishment for each charge.

Rank of the Accused

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 84% of the accused. NCOs (E-5 to E-9) made up 14%, and officers made up 2%. Across Navy and Marine Corps Article 112a cases overall, the junior enlisted share was 79%. The Camp Lejeune group was slightly more junior. The sentencing and discharge figures on this page describe a group made up mostly of junior enlisted members.

Limits of the Count

Only cases that reached a court-martial appear here. Drug cases resolved by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not counted. The trial records do not describe the evidence or any plea agreement. The plea figures above use only part of the records. The records give no reason for any plea or sentence.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 112a on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

Compare: federal court. Federal Law Has No Crime of Drug Use: How Article 112a Cases Compare · Drug Distribution and Importation: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences, 2016–2025

About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.